Automatic gravity-feed lubricator.



No. 712,254. Patented Oct. 28, [902' v T. n. snown.

AUTOMATIC GRAVITY FEED LUBRIOATDB.

(Application filed Aug. 16, 1901.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. BROWN, OF WILMERDING, PENNSYLVANI A,-ASSIGNOR OF TlVO-THIRDSTO WILLIAM C. DALLAS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND J. S. SEELEY ANDEDWARD MCVIOKER, OF FRANKLIN, PENNSYL.

VANIA.

AUTOMATlC GRAVITY-FEED LUBRlCATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,254, dated October28, 1902.

Application filed August 16, 1901. Serial No. 72,304. (No morlelJ To allwhom it may cor warm Be it known that I, THOMAS R. BROWN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Wilmerding, in the countyof Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Automatic Gravity-Feed Lubricators, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Myinvention relates to lubricators, and has for its objects to provide adash-feed automatic cut-off oil-cup adapted for use on main rods,driving-shafts, and other movable parts of locomotives and othermachinery, provided vention- Fi s. 2 3 and 4 similar views of modifiedforms of the device.

Referring to the drawings, A, Fig. 1, is the cap or plug of thelubricator, which is pro- 0 3 and with screw-threads to engage the bodyB of the cup. Seated-in the neck of the body portion below the plug is astrainer S, which is adapted to protect the entrance to the cup fromcinders and other foreign matter when theplugisremoved.Extendingdownwardly from the body of the cup, within the same, is acircumferential guide-wall or hood B.

The body B of the cup is preferably made of brass and at its lower endis provided with a screw-threaded flange b, which screws within acorresponding flange on a base portion C. This base is made of malleableiron or crucible-steel in order to obtain sufficient strength. With thisdifference in metals of he body portion and the base it is possible at,should the shaft become heated and heat e base, owing to the differencein the coefents of expansion of the respective parts,

with means to eifectually catch and retain in vided with a head forengagement by a wrench than the base. To prevent this expansion the bodywould be caused to expand more 9 from loosening the joint between bodyand base, the former is screwed within'thebase, as described, whereby onexpansion the body would expand against the base, and thereby maintain atight joint. The stud C of base attachment of the cup to the rod orshaft.

A stem 0 rises from the interior of the base 0 to near the upper part ofthe cup, where it is provided with a flaring receptacle O, having areversely-curved lip H. A passage E E is formed in this stem and iscontinued through the stud C The passage is made larger than necessaryfor the proper feed in order to provide a range of reduction at F, wherethe passage is reduced to the size proper to provide "a proper amount ofoil. This reduction-check F is purposely located at a distance from thebottom of the cup, so that it cannot be enlarged or tampered with, theopening of. passage E being so small that no ordinary tool can beinserted.

In the inner receptacle and reservoir 0 is placed a valve-ball D, whichwhen the rod and lubricator are at rest is caused by the sloping bottomof the receptacle to roll to the center of the same, and thus close theentrance to the passage E and cut off the feed of oil to the rod. Theguide or hood B is adapted to extend down and inclose the ball andserves to limit the movement thereof upon its seat.

The transverse diameter of the body Bis made greater than the height inorder to offectually feed out all the oil contained in the cup.

One practical advantage of having. the

O is exteriorly screw-threaded to permit of month of the inner flaringcup 0 open is to prevent clogging, which may occur in cases where cupshave small perforations for admission of the oil. With the openmouthfree access to the receptacle is afforded, and a sufficient flow ofoilis not only always insured around the dependent hood B, which extendsdown to the ball when such hood is used, but by the function of thereversed curved lip H such greater supply is retained instead of beingthrown out or back into the outer cup, as is apt to be the case withopen shallow saucers after the supply in the outer cup has been entirelyor nearly exhausted.

The operation of the device is as follows: The agitation of the cup bythe movement of the rod will cause the oil to surge and rush over thelip of the receptacle, which offers a much larger surface for catchingthe oil than the usual plain stem of other devices of this class. Themotion also unseats the valveball and permits the oil to enter thepassage, whence it will be fed through the tube to the rod or shaft, thereduced portion F serving to check the flow to the required amount. Theguide or hood B limits the lateral movement of the ball and can be ofsuch size as to provide an easy rolling motion for the ball when thespeed of the rod is not sufficient to lift the ball in a verticaldirection away from the seat. This provides a feed of oil when startingthe rod. When the engine or other machinery stops, the ball will lodgein the seat over the passage and stop all flow of oil from thereceptacle. On the stoppage of the engine it will be found that theinner lip H has prevented the escape of all the oil from the inner cup,which will contain enough oil to lubricate the rod upon starting.

In Fig. 2 a form of lubricator is shown in which in place of the guide Bof Fig. 1, made integral with the body of the cup, the plug A isprovided with a guide or hood B", which is adapted to fit over andinclose the ballvalve.

In Fig. 3 another form of cup is shown in which a cap or lid G isprovided and in which the saucer-receptacle C and a hood or guide B formpart of said lid.

In Fig. 4. a form of lubricator is shown especially adapted for rods ofslow speeds. The guide or hood to limit the movement of the ball isdispensed with, and the receptacle 0 is made deeper and with a greaterangle of slope toward the center than in the other forms. In thisconstruction at slow speeds the ball will roll back and forth more orless from its seat and produce a feeding action similar to that in thedevices of Figs. 1 to 3, or when the engine reaches a sufficient speedthe ball will hug the sides of the saucer and have a circular movement,following the insidc curved portion of the inner cup as though on atrack, in this way leaving the opening to the oil-passage continuouslyopen while the speed is maintained and providing practically a constantfeed to the rod. The angle or pitch of the bottom of the saucer is suchthat at the greatest angle which the cup may assume in the stopping ofthe engine the ball will roll in its seat and secure the cup from anywaste of oil.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A dash-feedlubricator comprising in combination an outer oil-cup, an interior stemarising from the base of the oil-cup provided with a central oil-channeland terminating at its upper end in an imperforate flaring cupshapedreceptacle having a central uncovered opening at its top and a reversedlip extending around said opening, substantially as described.

2. In a dash-feed lubricator, an outer oilcontaining cup, an innertubular feed-stem rising from the base of said cup, an inner openoil-catching receptacle at the upper end of said stem, having acontracted open mouth consisting of a reversed lip and central openingin line with but below the mouth of the outer cup, said outer cup madeof greater transverse diameter than height, substantially as described.

3. In a lubricator, a tubular stem terminating at the upper end in anopen receptacle, said receptacle having a ball-seating center portion, awide circumferential base portion sloping up from the center of the stemand having a turned-in lip forming an annular groove and a way for theball, and a ballvalve in said receptacle, substantially as de scribed.

4c. In an automatic gravity-feed lubricator, an outer oil-containingcup, an oil-feed stem, an inner receptacle at the upper end of the stem,having a valve-seat, and a wide base portion extending around said seat,a ball in said receptacle, a closure member for said outer cup and aguide-wall depending from said member above said receptacle t0 incloseand guide said ball,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS H. BROWN.

Witnesses:

R. F. EMERY, E. A. WRIGHT.

